Covert nuclear threat puts the Pentagon on red alert
The world is a dangerous place. But this is the worst case scenario.
Because a covert nuclear threat put the Pentagon on red alert.
Iran’s nuclear ambitions have once again been exposed, as a covert agency within its Ministry of Defense has been caught operating out of sites officially designated for space development. The revelation confirms long-standing concerns that Tehran is using its space program as a smokescreen to advance its nuclear weapons program.
Fox News Digital has learned that, according to sources embedded within the Iranian regime, the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND) — Iran’s top nuclear weapons development agency — has been working at two major locations previously identified as space research and launch sites. Evidence gathered over several months points to an alarming escalation in Iran’s pursuit of nuclear warheads.
“These reports, compiled from dozens of sources and thoroughly validated, indicate that in recent months, SPND has intensified its efforts to construct nuclear warheads at both the Shahrud and Semnan sites,” the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) revealed in an exclusive report obtained by Fox News Digital.
The intelligence was provided by individuals affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) and passed on to the NCRI, an Iranian opposition group headquartered in Washington, D.C., and Paris. Notably, NCRI’s deputy director, Alireza Jafarzadeh, was the first to publicly expose Iran’s secret nuclear program in 2002.
One of the locations, the Shahroud Space Center, has long been suspected of doubling as a missile development facility for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Now, the site has reportedly become a hub for “large-scale” SPND operations — a development Jafarzadeh warns is a “significant red flag.”
Shahroud first gained international attention in 2022 when Iran announced it had developed the Ghaem-100 rocket, a system theoretically intended to launch low-orbit satellites. However, military analysts have pointed out that the Ghaem-100’s capabilities extend far beyond civilian space missions. The missile’s range of nearly 1,400 miles significantly surpasses that of its predecessor, the Qased rocket, raising concerns over its potential military applications.
According to sources familiar with operations at the Shahroud Space Center, Iran’s nuclear scientists are now actively working on modifying the Ghaem-100 for nuclear payload delivery. “SPND’s experts are working on a nuclear warhead for the Ghaem-100 solid-fuel missile with a range of more than 3,000 kilometers [over 1,800 miles] and a mobile launch pad,” one source disclosed.
Security at the site has become increasingly tight, with personnel barred from driving onto the complex. Instead, all workers must park at a designated checkpoint before being transported inside by IRGC officials — a measure seemingly designed to control access and limit outside scrutiny.
“The Ghaem-100 missile, with a mobile launchpad that enhances its military capability, was produced by the IRGC Aerospace Force and copied from North Korean missiles,” the NCRI report detailed. “The production of the Ghaem missile was designed from the very beginning to carry a nuclear warhead. The IRGC Brigadier General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, the father of the IRGC’s missile program, personally pursued the project.”
While the precise nuclear payload capacity of the Ghaem-100 remains uncertain, its estimated range of 1,800 miles falls short of the 3,400-mile threshold needed to classify it as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Nonetheless, it poses a significant regional threat.
The second site, the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan, has also drawn fresh scrutiny. Last month, Iran used this facility to launch its largest-ever rocket into space, boasting a payload of approximately 660 pounds and relying on liquid fuel technology.
The NCRI report reveals that Tehran is developing liquid-fuel propellants, including for the Simorgh rocket, which has a range exceeding 1,800 miles. While officially described as a launch vehicle for heavy satellites, its specifications suggest it could be adapted to carry nuclear warheads.
Unlike solid fuel, liquid-fuel propulsion offers greater thrust and precision, but it also requires more sophisticated engineering. This technological leap underscores Iran’s determination to refine its missile capabilities under the guise of peaceful space exploration.
“Creating a Space Command of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force has served to camouflage the development of nuclear warheads under the guise of launching satellites while additionally giving the regime independent communications necessary for guiding the nuclear warheads,” Jafarzadeh told Fox News Digital.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Iran has amassed approximately 440 pounds of uranium enriched to 60% purity—dangerously close to the 90% threshold required for nuclear weapons.
Only about 92 pounds of weapons-grade uranium is needed for a single nuclear bomb, meaning that if Iran proceeds with further enrichment, it could amass enough material for at least five nuclear weapons.
However, Jafarzadeh warned that the West must look beyond uranium enrichment alone.
“It is naïve to only focus on calculating the amount or purity of enriched uranium without concentrating on the construction of the nuclear bomb or its delivery system,” he cautioned. “All are integral components of giving Iran’s mullahs an atomic bomb.”
These revelations further validate what conservatives have been warning about for years: Iran has never abandoned its nuclear ambitions. Instead, it has refined its deception tactics, embedding weapons development within its space program while negotiating with a naïve international community.
While the Biden administration’s weak policies only emboldened Tehran, President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign kept Iran in check. With this new intelligence in hand, the question remains — will the world take action before it’s too late?
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
